What Happens on the Mountain Doesn't Stay on the Mountain
by furiouskittenn
Summary: Lin takes a wrong turn and somehow our favourite ghost hunters end up spending the night in the mountains.


Obviously GH doesn't belong to me. If it did Gene would be alive.

Many, many thanks to aBBQ for being there to bounce ideas and beta. Also: I spent probably two hours plus watching videos on youtube first learning about MREs and then deciding which country I wanted them from. In the end I went with American, though to be honest the UK ones have a lot more, but there's no easy way to heat them like the Japanese and American ones.

* * *

 _Bump._

Oliver Davis let out an irritated sigh as his assistant fell against him for the umpteenth time that afternoon.

"Sorry Naru," she said, flashing him yet another embarrassed smile. "This road is bumpy, isn't it?"

He grunted. It was only bumpy because A), they were in the van, which wasn't built for dirt roads, and B), Lin was (seemingly purposefully) hitting every damn hole or bump there was.

Noll supposed Lin's irritation with him stemmed from the fact that he'd decided to pick a fight with Mai when he was supposed to be navigating and as a result Lin had missed the turn. He hadn't realized it until nearly ten minutes had passed, when the pavement ended and the road narrowed so that there was only one lane, with no room to turn the bulky van around.

What was worse? They were in the mountains.

Really, Noll had only meant to tease Mai, but she had gone for the bait so easily that he couldn't help himself.

 _Bump._

Noll gritted his teeth, biting back his own irritation as Mai apologized again.

"How much farther, do you think?" she asked the two silent men after several minutes.

Lin didn't reply. He was too busy white-knuckling the steering wheel as they rounded a turn where the road was several hundred feet up from the base of the valley. With no guardrail in sight.

Another grunt was her answer from Noll, who had just realized that the thermos of tea he'd quaffed shortly after leaving the case site was finally catching up to him.

Mai wondered if, perhaps, they hadn't left Noll back at the case site and brought some sort of zombie back instead. But no, a zombie wouldn't have teased her about her dismal grades in mathematics. It would have just grunted, as Noll did once more as she fell against him. Again.

Her stomach grumbled and Noll pointedly ignored it to open a book. Something she should probably doing, but since she was squeezed between him and Lin there wasn't any elbow room. Especially if she didn't want to accidentally bump Lin, which would send them all careening off the mountainside with a vanful of expensive, heavy equipment.

Mai cringed at the idea and opted instead to attempt to read over Noll's shoulder. It was in English, damn it!

"Will you stop?"

Noll's voice cut through her thoughts and she looked at him in confusion. "Stop what?"

He rolled his eyes. "You're sounding out each word like a preschooler, Mai."

Her face grew hot. "Well excuse me, Mister I-graduated-early-and-received-a-doctorate-at-sixteen! Not everyone is as talented as you!"

Noll muttered something that sounded suspiciously like "Obviously," but it was lost as Lin hit a particularly large pothole, sending Mai crashing into him. He shot the Chinese man the evilest glare he could manage with Mai pressed against him.

He swore he saw Lin smirk.

"Naru," Mai whispered, now sounding almost nervous. "Um, I need to…"

He sighed. "Lin, pull over." Secretly he was glad Mai needed to use the toilet too.

"You're going to have to wait until we reach flatter ground," Lin replied with obvious annoyance. "There's nowhere to pull over right now." Honestly, hadn't these children learned to use the bathroom before going on a trip? Well, Noll had at least gone, but then he'd drunk that enormous thermos of Mai's tea…. _Served him right_ , Lin thought to himself.

It took nearly half an hour before Lin saw a spot to pull off. By that point, Mai was fidgeting restlessly and even Noll's expression looked pained.

"Um," Mai said timidly, her face pink. "Is there—do we have any—?"

Noll sighed and reached into the back, retrieving a roll of toilet paper. "Don't use it all," he said, pushing the door open.

"How did I never notice that before?" she grumbled before she clambered out of the van after him.

Lin took the few precious moments without the two incredibly annoying teenagers to stretch his legs and actually look at the damned map himself.

The map did not include the road they were on.

If Lin was a man to use profanity, he would have used it then. Instead, he silently glared daggers at Noll, who was now rummaging around in the back of the van, no doubt looking for hand sanitizer or cleaning wipes.

He glanced upward, frowning as he realized the sun was hanging rather low in the sky. Either they could continue on this road until it met its inevitable end, or he could attempt to turn the van around and go back the way they'd come.

The thought of leaving the two idiots crossed his mind more than once, but at length he sighed and folded the map up before digging into his pocket for his phone.

Great. No signal.

He hoped they had enough gas to get back to where they'd come from. Which wasn't likely, so they'd probably end up stranded, and then have to hike to get a tow. All because the idiot scientist couldn't stop himself from teasing his assistant.

Lin took a deep breath, then walked into the woods. Might as well take the opportunity.

When he returned Mai offered him the hand sanitizer, awkwardly saying, "Um, Lin-san… it's starting to get dark out…"

"I noticed," he replied dryly.

"I just… should we keep going? What if the van breaks down and it's the middle of the night?" She fidgeted nervously, though it almost looked like she needed the toilet again.

He sighed. "We'll stay here for the night. The terrain is fairly level. Why don't you two go look for firewood."

Noll opened his mouth to protest, then seemed to remember Mai's propensity for getting into danger, and nodded. "Let's go, Mai."

Maybe they would get lost and Lin would be free of their bickering for a few hours. No, that was a little too harsh, especially with night coming on. Maybe they would work out their differences and he'd be free of their bickering forever? No. Too hopeful. Maybe they'd agree to get along just for tonight, to spare his nerves. Perfect.

He bent and began clearing brush so he could make a fire.

Sunset came and went, and Noll and Mai had not returned. By this point, Lin had made his own fire since the two teens were completely useless. Twilight was fully settling in when Lin sighed and grabbed a torch to go look for them.

After twenty minutes, he spotted Noll kneeling next to Mai, who was glaring at her ankle. A pile of firewood was beside them. He cleared his throat and both looked up.

"Lin. Mai's hurt."

He was glad neither of the teens could see his eyes roll skyward. Of _course_ Mai had injured herself. What on earth had she done in a past life to warrant such bad karma?

"I tripped and twisted my ankle," Mai supplied. "We were trying to walk back, but then it got dark out, and Naru said it would be better if we just waited for you to come find us since we didn't have a torch…"

And whose fault was _that_ , Lin wondered as he glared at Noll. The irritating teen either didn't notice his glare or pretended not to as he asked, "We still have those camping supplies in the back of the van, right?"

"Yes." Lin handed him the torch before bending to pick up Mai. She let out a squeak as he began walking, Noll beside him. The pile of firewood lay forgotten behind them. Almost. They'd just need to find some firewood from closer to the van. Lin would make Noll do it, of course, while he tended to Mai's ankle. Then, and only then, would he pull out the rations from the van.

"Lin-san?" Mai whispered. "I'm sorry we made you miss the turn."

Lin stared straight ahead. "It's not you I blame, Mai. Naru was the one who was supposed to be navigating, and he engaged in an argument with you, thus neglecting his duties."

Noll glared at him, which Lin ignored.

Mai bit her lip. "But—"

"He teased you, Mai, knowing that it would rile you up, and you"—as always—"took the bait." There was silence for several moments before Lin spoke again. "Perhaps we are all to blame. After all, I could have attempted to turn around well before now." But really, he blamed the idiot scientist.

There was a howl from somewhere close by. Mai let out a shriek, her arms wrapping around Lin's neck, and the air grew suddenly colder. Lin rolled his eyes. _Teenagers_.

"Save your energy, Naru," he said calmly, then glanced down at Mai. "It's only coyotes. Have you never been camping before?"

Mai shook her head, her brown eyes wide and fearful, glistening in the light from the torch.

 _This should be fun then_ , Lin thought wryly as the air grew even chillier. _Maybe Mai and Noll will actually make some progress._

Not bloody likely.

They made it back to the van and Lin set Mai down. "Naru, go get some more wood. Then we can eat."

Noll shot Lin a nasty look but did as he was told. It _was_ partially his fault that they were in this mess. And he _had_ left the wood back where Mai had fallen. And he _had_ started arguing with Mai, distracting her from her footing.

When he returned, his arms full of wood, Mai's ankle was bandaged and Lin had pulled out the rations—meals, ready-to-eat. He nearly made a face, but he was hungry, so he set the wood down and grabbed one.

Mai was staring at hers. "Lin-san, where did you get these? Aren't they supposed to be for the military?"

"I know people," Lin replied evasively.

Noll rolled his eyes and opened his up. Ratatouille. Of course, Lin had only packed vegetarian meals since that was all he ate on cases. He pulled out the contents and put it together, pouring a bit of water in the bottom before setting it aside to heat.

"Um, Naru, how do I…?" Mai asked.

He sighed and moved over to her. "Like this."

Soon they were eating. Noll silently sipped his water, having passed the raspberry flavor packet to Mai. He'd also silently handed her the sweets inside his MRE and she had grinned widely at him with a "Thanks, Naru!"

Lin sat on a rock and thought about his choices in life.

After a while, he stood and began gathering the trash and leftovers. The crackers and peanut butter would be good for breakfast in the morning, and if they could figure out how to heat up some water Lin would be thankful for the coffee. He placed it all in the backseat, then turned to the two teens.

"You two can sleep in the van. I'll tend the fire."

Mai frowned. "Are you sure? I mean, you have to drive tomorrow, and the coyotes…"

"The fire will keep them away. I'll sleep fine. Hand me one of the sleeping bags." He'd definitely sleep fine if he locked the two brats in the van… An excellent idea.

Noll passed one over and then looked at Mai. "You can sleep in the front. I'll take the back."

Good lord, Noll was actually being generous for once. Then again, it _was_ Mai. Lin set another log on the fire as the two began to get settled into their respective sleeping spots.

"Goodnight, Lin," Mai said with a smile.

"Goodnight," Lin said, silently engaging the child lock before shutting the door. He pressed the button on the keyfob and all the locks clicked shut.

Noll's eyes narrowed. Had Lin just locked them in? He reached up from his sleeping bag and tried the handle. Yes. Yes he had. And he'd _engaged the child lock!_ "Lin!" he growled, banging on the door.

Lin set another log on the fire, pointedly ignoring the banging coming from the van before grabbing a torch and heading into the forest to take care of some business. At last, some peace and quiet.

The banging had ceased by the time he returned. Lin briefly considered peering into the van, but he was sure that Noll was sulking now. Mai was most likely trying to cheer him up. Lin could almost hear her now.

"Relax, Naru. I'm sure Lin-san just locked the doors to keep us safe."

Noll grunted. He had a feeling that was _not_ why Lin had locked the doors, but he wouldn't tell Mai that. Instead he pulled off his jacket and pillowed it beneath his head, turning away from Mai in the hopes of getting some sleep.

He'd very nearly managed it when Mai spoke in a whisper.

"Naru? Are you still awake?"

A sigh was her answer.

"Um… are there any blankets back there? I'm kind of cold."

He pulled his phone from his pocket and flipped it open, using the light from the screen to illuminate the back of the van. Only equipment. No blankets. Silently, he cursed Lin before unzipping his sleeping bag. "Come here, Mai."

"Wh-what? Why?"

"Because it's only going to get colder and we'll both keep warm if we're together to conserve body heat." He hoped his annoyance was showing. He wasn't necessarily annoyed at Mai, but Lin was going to have some hard stares come the morning.

"But—" He could practically _hear_ Mai biting her lip. "What about your psychometry? Will you be okay?"

"Mai, if you don't get back here I'm going to assume you _want_ to freeze."

She huffed. "Fine! Geez, I was only making sure you'd be comfortable." There was the sound of her bag unzipping and then she clambered over the seat, nearly falling on top of him. He had to wrap his arms around her waist to keep her from accidentally kicking him.

"I know I'm handsome, but if you keep blushing you'll get colder even faster. Now come on."

"Jerk!" she hissed, rotating so that she was facing away from him.

He released her, pulling her sleeping bag on top of his before shimmying underneath them. He could still feel Mai's face radiating heat, and he smirked.

"Naru?"

He rolled his eyes. "What?"

"I'm worried about Lin. If _we're_ cold in here, then he must be cold out there."

He let out a soft snort. "He's got the fire and, I suspect, the rest of the blankets. Relax, Mai." She was holding herself as still as possible, probably to keep their bodies from touching. Noll sighed and draped an arm over her waist, which only caused her to blush again.

For the briefest of moments, he wondered what she'd do if he kissed her.

Then he shoved that idea hastily away. Not happening. She was still in love with Gene, and it wasn't like he liked her _like that_.

 _Liar_ , said the tiny voice in his head, which sounded an awful lot like his brother.

"Why would Lin take the rest of the blankets? Did he know he'd be cold?"

Noll sometimes wondered how Mai had gotten through life, being as naïve as she was. "No," he said, as patiently as he could. "He knew _we_ would be cold."

She turned to face him and he grimaced slightly as her elbow hit him in the chest while the rest of her body rubbed against places that hadn't seen action, well, ever. Her brown eyes were confused. She opened her mouth to speak, but he lifted a hand to poke her forehead.

"Think, Mai. Lin was purposely hitting bumps in the road all afternoon so you'd fall onto me. Then he sent us off into the woods together, and now he's _locked us in the van with no spare blankets_ so that we'd do exactly what we're doing now."

Mai stared at him with wide eyes before comprehension finally dawned on her and her face slowly turned a shade of red he hadn't seen before. Noll smirked.

"Understand now?"

"But—you—you don't even—you can't—I—"

"Full sentences would be nice, Mai."

She glared at him. "It's not like you like me anyway!" she burst out, face flaming.

Noll faltered for a moment before smoothly replying, "And you're in love with my dead twin brother."

Her mouth dropped open in surprise, her eyes suddenly shining in the darkness before she hit his chest with a closed fist. "You stupid jerk! You—you—I can't believe you still think that!"

His eyebrow rose. "Is it not true?"

"Of course it's not true, you—you—" She huffed, and he smirked at her again.

"Don't tire out your brain trying to think of insults for me. Idiot." His heart was leaping inside his chest. If she didn't love Gene, then…

She was back to glaring at him. "You're the idiot!" she snapped. "Couldn't you tell all along that it was you and only you? That day in the forest, you just surprised me! I'd just said goodbye to him and then you were there and I knew you were leaving so I had to tell you and then you ask me that—that _ridiculous_ question because of course it's you, it's always only ever been you. Yeah Gene smiled at me, but he did it all the time and when you did it was special, because you never smile except for… right now… Why are you smiling like that, Naru?"

Noll closed the distance between them and murmured, his lips nearly touching hers, "Because I like watching you blush." Then he steeled his mental barriers and kissed her.

Lin's head lifted slightly from his pillow. Mai had stopped yelling, which meant that either Noll had either finally kissed her or he'd gotten annoyed and knocked her out. He hoped it was the former, because he really didn't want to deal with a concussed Mai on the drive back.

When he pulled away, Mai was staring at him in shock, her mouth slightly open. It was cute, until she spoke. "You really suck at kissing, Naru."

He schooled his face into a neutral expression. "Well, I was hoping that by some stroke of luck kissing you might magically unlock the van. Unfortunately, it does not seem to have worked."

She let out a huff. "Geez, I wasn't trying to insult you. Just kiss me again, you jerk."

An eyebrow rose. "And how many times am I going to have to kiss you until I meet your standards?" Not that he minded. He'd enjoyed it, and wanted to kiss her again.

She gave him a tiny, mischievous smile that he could just barely make out. "Probably a lot."

"Perhaps I should quit while I'm ahead then."

She pouted. "Naru!"

He chuckled softly, surprising her, then kissed her again, one hand cupping her cheek.

"Much better," she whispered when they pulled apart, before snuggling under the blanket next to him.

 _Took you long enough, idiot scientist_ , said the voice in his head.

 _Shut up, stupid medium_ , he replied, getting comfortable next to Mai and closing his eyes. _I'm trying to sleep._

Soft laughter filtered through his mind as he drifted off.

* * *

Lin woke at dawn the next morning to a smoldering fire and birds chirping. He pulled himself from beneath the pile of blankets and went to peer into the van. His lips quirked upward at the sight.

Mai and Noll were cuddling—yes, _cuddling_ together beneath both sleeping bags. Mai had her head pillowed on Noll's chest, and Noll had both his arms wrapped around her.

Lin quietly unlocked the van, then headed into the woods for a short walk.

Mai groaned softly as she woke. Why was her pillow moving? And not as soft as it usually was? Her eyes opened to darkness and then snapped all the way open as something tightened around her waist.

Oh. She was sleeping on Naru.

 _She was sleeping on Naru!_

She let out a tiny yelp, pulling away, but the arms only got tighter. _Naru's_ arms. Her face went red, and she gave up, laying her head back onto his chest.

"I don't know where you think you're going. The van's still locked." She could hear his voice rumbling from his chest, a little husky from sleep.

"I—your psychometry, though—" Mai stammered.

"I'm fine, Mai." He hadn't opened his eyes yet but he was sure she was blushing.

"What if Lin comes back though?" she whispered, feeling embarrassed.

"I don't care. Stop fidgeting. Go back to sleep."

Right. Naru wasn't a morning person. Especially not without tea.

Lin returned from his constitutional and stoked the fire. There wasn't really any way to heat water, so Noll would be without tea (and therefore grumpy) until they reached civilization. Hopefully Mai's presence would help.

He should probably wake them up so they could eat and get back on the road. To that end, he went over to the van and opened the back door. He smirked at the sight of Mai furiously blushing while Noll held her to him.

"L-Lin-san! Good morning!" the girl stammered, attempting to pull away from Noll. "Did you sleep well?"

"Good morning, Mai. I did. And you?" Mai only went redder, and Lin had to fight to keep the smirk from his face as he began to pull out more water and the MRE leftovers for breakfast.

"Y-yes!"

"I trust you were warm enough?" Noll cut in sharply.

"Quite. Thank you for your concern, Naru. Come on out and eat breakfast, then we'll put out the fire and head back." Lin turned away, allowing the smirk to spread across his face before carefully schooling his face back to his neutral expression.

They sat and ate breakfast, Lin on his pile of blankets and Noll and Mai in the back of the van. Shortly thereafter the fire was extinguished, the blankets put back in the van, and Mai was sitting in the front seat as Noll helped Lin turn the van around.

Mai looked up at Noll as he climbed onto the seat. What would they do now that they'd kissed? Were they going to… date?

Noll looked at Mai evenly. He placed his hand on the side of her head, gently pulling her toward his shoulder as he leaned back into the seat. "Go back to sleep, Mai. I'm sure you need it."

"Jerk," she whispered, but she was smiling.


End file.
